Furnace-door opener



(No Model.)

C. H. OLIVER.

PURNAGB Doon OPENER.

No. 475,338. Patented May 24, 1892.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. OLIVER, OF SEDALIA, MISSOURI.

FURNACE-DOOR OPENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 475,338, dated May 24, 1892. Application filed October 23, 1891. Serial No. 409,637. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

.le it known that I, CHARLES H. OLIVER, a c itizen of the United States of America, residing at Sedalia, in the county of Pettis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnace-Door Openers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings,

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a mechanical device to facilitate the operation of opening and closing furnace-doors; and it consists in the employment of a rod, chain, or cable connected to a furnace-door or latch thereof and engaging with one or more levers suitably arranged and adapted to open and close the door at will of the fireman, as hereinafter more fully described, and pointed out in the claims, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, 1n which like letters and figures of reference refer to like parts, and in which- Figure lis a front view of a steam-boiler and furnace and door having my opening device connected to the door, extending upward therefrom, and connected to a lever fulcrumed above the door. Fig. 2 is atop View of same.

, Fig. 3 is a front View of a steam-boiler and furnace and door havingmy opening device connected to the door, which is provided with hinges of unequal length. r

Referring to the drawings, A represents the front of a steam-boiler and furnace, and B the side-swin gin g fire-door thereof, which is swung open and closed at will of the fireman while depositing each shovelful of fuel into the firebox or furnace.

In the embodiment of my invention I provide a rod, chain, or wire cable C, the lower end of which is attached to the fire-door at any suitable point or to the latch D and operated in connection with a suitable lever E, fulcrumed above the door.

Fig. l shows a rod, chain, or cable counected with the doorlatch and extending therefrom upward obliquely to the right, and is attached to the end of a pivoted lever E at a point at or near a lateral vertical line with the hinge rod or pins N, preferably some distance forward of a true vertical central line with said hinge rod or pins. I found in my experiments that the best results were attained by locating the fulcriim-point J of lever E at a point or distance of from six to ten inches forward of the furnace front. Said fulcrum-pivot J may be supported by the boiler or front or attached to any other suitable support above tlie door, so as to give the door an outward and rearward pull toward its hinges when the rod, chain,or cable C lifts the latch D, causing the door to swing open, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. l. I preferably use a rod K, attached to the end K of lever E, extending down and attached to a foot-treadle K2, located at or near the base of the furnace front. The fireman may thus on arrival with a shovelful of coal open the door by stepping on treadle K2, drawing down the end of lever E, which will impartan upward movement `of the rod, chain, or cable C, connected with the other end of lever E and to the latch D, which is raised, thus unlatching the door, causing it to swing open upon its hinges. Aftei the coal is thrown in the door is instantly closed after each shovelful by the saineinovemeiit of the foot-treadle and lever, tlieieby avoiding any liability of damaging the boilerflues bya sudden lowering of the temperature caused by admitting a continuous draft of cold air to pass in through the door, which is usually permitted to stand open while shoveling in a new supply of fuel.

In the construction of the door-hin ges I prefer to place the upper and lower hinge parts, rod, or pins N out of vertical alignment, each one with the other, by making the lower hinge longer, as shown at Fig. 3, which will cause the fire-door to automatically close itself the instant the fireman removes his foot from the treadle. The lever E may be made straight or the two ends thereof may be bent laterally a suitable distance, so as to cause the end E to stand out a suitable distance forward of a vertical line with the hinge rod 0r pins N, as shown at Fig. 2.

Owing to the construction of locomotive engines or boilers, I find that their fire-doors are only capable of being opened slightly beyond a right angle with the front, and in order to hold the door open in its natural position and quickly close it after each shovelful of fuel I find it necessary to insert an additional connection or piece of chain C', having its lowei` IOO end connected with chain C and the upper end of said chain or connection attached to lever E at any suitable point between the end E and the center pivot J. W'hen the door is swung open tostand in position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, the lower portion of chain C and the upper inner portion C will assume a straight line and the portion C, above the connection C2 will become slackened. By the employment of this additional part or chain C', and the connecting portion C3 thereof being nearer the pivot J, the door is readily held from swinging open beyond a right angle with Ttl`ie front and is again readily swung shut, as before mentioned.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Paten t, is-

l. A device for opening and closing sideswinging fire-doors of steam-boilers and furnaces, comprising lever E,pivotal1y supported above the door, having the upper end of a rod,

chain, or cable attached to lever E at cr near a lateral vertical line above the door-hinge rod or pin N, the lower end of said rod, chain, or cable attached to the fire-door or to the latch thereof, substantially as specified.

2. The Within-described device for opening and closing fire-doors of steam-boilers and furnaces, comprising a pivoted lever fulcrumed above the door, having a rod, chain, or cable attached to one end of said lever and to the fire-door and provided with a rod or chain connecting the other end of said lever with a foot-treadle at or near the base of the furnace, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, with a side-swinging fire-door of steam-boilers and furnaces, of lever E, having side or lateral bends on either side of its pivotal support above the door, said pivot located at a suitable distance forward of the furnace front and having a rod, chain, or cable attached to lever E and to the fire-door, substantially as specified.

4. A boiler or furnace front provided with a side-swinging fire-door B, having a pivoted latch D, in combination with a rod, chain, or cable C, connected to the door-latch and to a pivoted lever E, fulerumed above the door,

` and a rod or chain connecting lever E with a treadle K2, substantially as specified.

5. A device for opening and closing the doors of steam-boilers and furnaces, comprising chain C, the lower end thereof attached to the front portion of the door, said chain extending in an oblique direction upward and rearwardly, connected to a pivoted lever fulcrumed above the door, the upper part of chainChavingan additional chain C attached thereto and connected with said lever at any suitable point between its end and the fulcrum-pivot J thereof, substantially as specified.

G. The within-described device for opening and closing side-swinging fire-doors of steamboilers and furnaces, comprising a chain or cable, one end thereof attached to the door and the other end of said chain or cable eX- tending from its point of connection with said c door in an oblique direction rearwardly and engaging with an operating mechanism, the lower hinge of said door made longer, placing its pivot out of vertical alignment with the pivot of the upper hinge, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I ax my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES H. OLIVER.

4Witnesses:

J. I-I. HARLEY, J. M. BYLER. 

